Home garden for edibles

The rehabilitation of our garden after we had an extension built for our house led to another project - an edibles section. We had long wanted to "formalize" an edibles section in our garden as there are mostly flowering and ornamental plants including orchids and cacti. I'm not counting here our mango, sagada orange and narra trees. We already had some herbs on pots and a sprinkling of chili (labuyo), basil, tarragon and blue ternatea (butterfly pea) around the house before our renovation/extension project. There were also alugbati and kalamansi (citrus) and a couple of papaya trees. Only the blue ternatea, tarragon, kalamansi and papaya trees survived. And so we embarked on this "edibles" garden project as we had our garden re-landscaped by our trusty handyman. Here are a couple of photos showing the edibles section.

The back of our house now features various herbs and fruit-bearing plants like chili, tomatoes, eggplants and okra.

Potted plants include eggplants, okra and tomatoes. There are also herbs on the steel, multi-level planter.

We also now have a plot where we are growing lettuce, kailan, and, recently, a couple of pineapple plants. We have already harvested papaya, eggplant, okra, chili and use tarragon and blue ternatea for some healthy drinks quite often. The papaya is seedless and sweet. Sometimes we pick papayas as ingredient for tinola but usually we let it become ripe for some treat after meals. We think having edibles at home, regardless of whether you live in a house like ours or in a condo (I have friends who grow their herbs at their condo units in Makati and Ortigas.) is something to be promoted and propagated.

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Katsu Sora Japanese Restaurant

Fridate some weeks ago led us to try this katsu (basically fried breaded meat) at the Feliz Mall at the border of Pasig and Marikina along Marcos Highway. Katsu Sora featured a buffet set-up for sides like vegetables, fruits and soup. The main attractions, of course, are their katsus. I said attractions (plural) because they have many variants including at least 4 types of pork for their signature dish.

Their sakura pork is actually Canadian

I ordered the sampler set with 4 types of pork katsu

The 4 types of pork are from various sources including the very popular kurobuta pork, which is claimed to be sourced from Japan, and the supposedly premium Iberico pork from Spain.

Katsu kare (curry) with miso soup on the side

Kurobuta pork

Premium Iberico Pork

Shimofuri pork (basically marbled pork) means the meat has a good mix of fat spread across the meat. This means the meat is softer than the lean variety and likely to be more tasty (read: sinful because of the fat). This is also sourced from Spain.

We honestly couldn't tell between the Kurobuta and Iberico katsu, but these were better tasting for me compared to the other two katsus. This is my preference though I generally don't like fatty katsu. Typically, there's a choice between rosu (pork loin), which is more fatty, and hire (fillet) for the katsu. I don't recall seeing these choices in the menu for the sampler. Such are usually available for the choice among the four offered by the restaurant. Price-wise, we thought that Katsu Sora was right there with Yabu and Kimukatsu. Their katsus are as authentic as they get and those who are not on diets will surely enjoy eating here.

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Exquisit vintage watch

My collection of German-made watches includes this piece from the 1950s. It is literally Exquisit and features a unique set of lugs.

This watch has a simple dial with no day or date complications. What is apparently outstanding are the lugs.

Side view showing the crown

The other side view

Case back showing its characteristics including it being waterproof and automatic. I have yet to find out what 'super-safe' means.

A closer look at the dial

Wrist shot

Here's a stock photo of the movement, which is a PUW570 running at 18,000 beats per hour with a potential of 40hours. The movement dates the watch to the 1950s with the previous owner claiming this to be made around 1957.

This one's another reliable watch for everyday use. Unfortunately, being part of a collection means it is used only once in a while and not part of my regular rotation. Still, this one's a keeper for now if only because of the lugs.

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Go Sushi, Sikatuna Village

We were back in Teachers Village to find a new place to have lunch at. After reaching the end of Maginhawa Street, we couldn't quite decide where to eat aside from the restaurants we've tried before and those that didn't look attractive to us. Fortunately, we saw Go Sushi in what is no longer Maginhawa Street but already V. Luna Extension. We've seen it before but dismissed it as a takeout/delivery place. This time, I think we were hungry enough to try our luck. We were not disappointed though not totally elated with our lunch.

Counter area - menu and prices are clearly shown. The system is basically pay as you order

Water is on the house. They were supposed to have house tea, too, but this wasn't available when we lunched there. There is also a TV screen showing videos on Japanese food including sashimi and sushi preparation.

Shake (salmon) sashimi - the salmon was surprisingly fresh and smooth. It did not seem to have been thawed from a frozen state like what happens in other restaurants.

A quick order of tempura for lunch - the tempura was ordinary

Go Sushi had a lot of sushi and maki items on their menu. Perhaps we should try these for delivery next time. The other items in their menu seem okay if not ordinary. Not shown in the photos is another dish ordered by a colleague that turned out well. Budget-wise, the prices are reasonable and affordable enough for one to eat at or order if you don't mind Japanese food everyday. We got one of their brochures for future reference.

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Chocolate review: Charbonnel et Walker Dark Sea Salt Caramel Truffles

The Clairvoyant came back from one of her overseas trips with a few of these chocolates. These were also gifts from her colleagues abroad that she receives when they get together for their company's annual meetings usually held in the US. On her part, she usually brings as her giveaways some boxes of dark chocolate-covered mangoes that are always a hit with her friends and colleagues.

The chocolates come in this small containers.

Details on the chocolate at the back of the box including nutrition information. It's stated that these contain a minimum of 70% cocoa solids.

There are four pieces inside

This is a very exquisite chocolate. The taste is something you want to savor for a longer time than it takes for them to melt in your mouth. Perhaps it is the fine blend of chocolate, sea salt, caramel and truffles? All these ingredients in a ball of treat is just the right thing to make one happy. I joked that these would be something you give to a girl you're courting. That is, it will show the guy has taste and is out to impress. Of course, that will only work if the girl knows about chocolates. Baka naman hanggang Goya lang ang natitikman ng girl. :)

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Introducing Co Chocolat

Today is the Philippines' Independence Day, which is commemorated on the day the country declared independence from Spain in 1898. What followed, of course, was another war but with the United States, which led to the Philippines becoming a commonwealth and protectorate under the US until July 4, 1946.

A few days ago, the wife met up with a friend who was in town to check on the production side of the business we invested in a few years ago. The production referred to the cacao farms in Agusan Del Sur in Mindanao island where the cacao used in the chocolates are sourced. The company, Co Chocolat, is based in Dubai where our friends who are sisters are based and now produces fine chocolate and other products currently available in that city and Abu Dhabi. One of them attended formal school in Europe in order to learn the fine art (and science) of making chocolates. 

Here are some initial photos of the package of samplers we got last week:

Our bag of goodies came straight from Dubai where our friends are based. It contained various chocolates in bars and tableyas as well as other items I will be writing about soon.

We love the packaging for the smaller chocolate bars.

Here are samples of what are inside the bars. We've sampled some and they are exquisite

Chocolate bar variants - I will write about these soon. For now, we haven't opened any of these as we wanted to savor the taste in the right mood :) We'll probably get that chance today.

Here is Co Chocolat's homepage: https://cochocolat.com/
Check out their story and the other products!

Happy Philippine Independence Day! Mabuhay ang Pilipinas! Itaguyod ang sariling atin!
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Vintage Anker automatic watch with Cal. 222 movement

I am in a sort of a catch-up mode in terms of documenting the watches in my collection. A relatively new acquisition and supposedly a replacement for an older Anker that I decided to part with recently is this automatic from the same company.

The watch with what appears as a mother of pearl finish for the dial. It also has a date feature.

Side view showing the crown and a better appreciation of the dial.

The other side view adding more emphasis to the dial's texture.

Here's a look at the Cal. 222 (also Forster Cal. 222) automatic movement that runs on 21,600 beats per hour lasting a maximum 38h.

The watch the first time I wore it on my wrist

This watch is a dependable one as it keeps time and the power reserve doesn't run out overnight. It is definitely something I will retain in my collection for now. I have other Ankers but this one stands out from the others.

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Vintage Kienzle watch

Another German-made watch in my collection is this Kienzle that looks like my old Junghans Max Bill design. Only, you can see the numbers on the 12, 3, 6 and 9 hour markers.

Simple white dial with just the slightest hint of patina with no day or date features.

Side view showing the crown

The other side view

Case back showing some specs including the watch being anti-magnetic, waterproof and of stainless steel

Close-up of the dial showing the watch's claim to be waterproof and shockproof as well as Made in Germany

Watch movement, which is signed.

Here's a wrist shot of the watch.

I've recorded the watch to last about 42 hours. Again that's not bad for an old watch from ca. 1965.

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Vintage Baume & Mercier chronograph

A jewel in my collection is a vintage chronograph from the mid-1940s. This is a rare piece from Baume & Mercier that the Clairvoyant and I are quite fond of. We have our Baume "couple" watches that we acquired almost a decade ago while we were residing in Singapore. We take turns in wearing this watch that seems to be appropriate for any occasion; even for regular wear at the office.

The watch is a chronograph and its features are working

Side view showing the crown and the chronograph buttons

The other side view

Case back for this gold-plated watch

Close up of the dial shows the details including those of the two sub-dials. The 'second' sub-dial is at left.

Stock photo of the movement, which is a manual wind Landeron 51 that runs at 18,000 A/h and originally lasting 41 hours on a full wind.

The watch the first time I tried it on after fitting it with a suitable leather strap

Photo of the movement and the inside of the cover. This is a gold plated watch that's aged quite nicely.

Close-up of the Landeron 51 movement running this watch. The movement is signed and in great shape. Its clear this timepiece is well maintained.

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King Seiko 5625 2171 vintage watch

I was finally able to find the BMBY (birth month, birth year) watch for the Clairvoyant. And this one's another King Seiko that I got from my suki from Fukuoka. For some reason, I was also able to get this for a low price given how these rare pieces go on the market today.

This King Seiko has a date feature

Side view showing the signed crown

The other side view

This model does not have the typical gold medallion at the back. Instead KS is etched to the case back. The model number is consistent with the one indicated on the watch face/dial. And the serial number shows the year and month of manufacture. This one states the watch to have been manufactured in January 1973.

The watch when I tried it on after installing the Hirsch leather strap.

The Seiko 5625 movement runs at 28,800 beats per hour.

This quickly became a favorite and many days we do a "twinning" thing by wearing our BMBY watches at the same time. It's now part of her own rotation that includes her Baume, a Grand Seiko quartz and her favorite Swatch chrono diver.

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